In an effort to increase its flow of late-night customers, 24-hour restaurant chain Denny's is using an interesting new marketing technique: corporate branding with famous rock stars.

This move makes a lot of sense. After all, Denny's has always had something of a Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde personality: during the day, it's the go-to place for old folks to hang out, and the perfect spot for a family to fill up after church. In the sunlight, it's all that is wholesome and decent.

After the sun goes down, however, Denny's transforms. Somewhere around midnight, it becomes the haunt of night-crawling vampires, looking for sustenance. Along with competitors like Waffle House and the occasional IHOP, it is the perfect place for all-night-studying, all-night-partying people in their late teens and '20s to catch a decent, consistently-prepared meal.

Family breakdowns including divorce, unwed mothers, and absentee fathers are costing millions to society according to a new study.

A senior family division judge for England and Wales, Justice Paul Coleridge, accused mothers and fathers who fail to commit to each other of engaging in a game of "pass the partner" that has left millions of children "scarred for life."

Seem dramatic? Maybe so, but it is true. According to the US Census Bureau, 29.1% of women who had a birth in 2004 were not married and that half of such unmarried mothers were living below the poverty level. This compared with 12% of married women at the poverty level. Too often, the failure to commit leaves children without a father, without stability, and without money.

And who picks up the tab? You and me. The societal cost of unwed mothers and divorced families is estimated to cost taxpayers at least $112 billion per year. A 1% reduction in family fragmentation would save taxpayers an estimated $1.1 billion per year.

With school out for summer and a bunch of seasonal projects, the time's right for getting young do-it-yourselfers involved in home improvement plans.

Working together to make a repair or build something new not only teaches lifelong skills and builds confidence, but also gives kids a sense of accomplishment and renewed pride in the home you share.

Select a project together: Whether it's an easy fix-it project, a simple gardening chore or an opportunity to redecorate, every DIY project is a valuable chance to learn. Kit-based programs like Red Toolbox are also available, and help you learn together through three discrete skill levels, starting with very simple tasks and progressing to more advanced techniques. Along the way, parent and child have fun working together and create useful, decorative items that make great gifts.

A fellow writer told me about this program, and it does seem like a pretty darn good deal, especially if you like bowling.

KidsBowlFree is a national program, that numerous bowling alleys across the country are participating in. You have to register, and once you do, you can go to the bowling alley and let your kids bowl for free, for two games. Every day, if you want to.

For $23.95, you can register with a participating bowling alley, and you'll have a pass that's good through the summer. Your kids, plus up to four adult family members, can go to the bowling alley and bowl two games for free -- every day during the summer.

The Web site is a little confusing, in my opinion, since after I registered, the family pass information came up, and my first conclusion was that I had to pay for the family pass. But you don't. Still, I just may. Go bowling with your spouse and parents or inlaws, and you have a pretty good deal brewing.

Now, the bowling alley will charge you for your kids' shoes, and nobody's feelings will be hurt if you buy a few snacks and drinks while you're there. But still, it is a pretty good deal, and yes, your children really are allowed to bowl for free. There may be no free lunch, but there is free bowling.

I took my daughters bowling about a year ago, and as I recall, I spent around $30 for two games and the three pairs of shoes. So clearly if you just use the family pass once during the summer, it's not such a deal. You may break even. But if you go several times, you should more than get your money's worth.

And if you go every day during the summer, according to KidsBowlFree, it's a deal worth $1,500.

It hasn't been a fun month, I'd imagine, for anyone with a corner office at Abercrombie & Fitch's rugged New Albany, OH headquarters. The company reported a 22% drop in net sales for May -- and this week, the story of London store employee Riam Dean surfaced.

Dean, 22, was allegedly moved from a sales job to a stockroom post -- away from the eyes of shoppers -- after her managers discovered she had a prosthetic arm.

Yes, it's been the kind of month that might make even the biggest cheerleader of an executive gaze out the window and think, Maybe we should just shut this thing down.

In this case, yeah -- maybe you should.

When I was a kid, lo these many moons ago, a bike light was to a kid what fog lights were to our parents' cars; a delicious add-on.

We all wanted a shiny new bell or handle bar streamers so the other kids on the block would ooh and aah over our latest acquisition. Today, as I watch the kids riding up and down the sidewalk in front of the house, these bicycle accessories are not often seen. Still, someone must be buying them, because hardware stores and dollar stores alike, still stock them.

Here are a few available at dollar stores:

Cable locks with key -- Unfortunately, a bike lock is pretty much a necessity in most neighborhoods. The dollar store version is vinyl-coated and 27 inches long, an adequate size for a kid's bike. It costs $1.25. The hardware store cable lock is similar but is 6 feet long and costs $14.99. Neither one of these is going to stand up to a determined crook with a good set of cable cutters but they will keep an opportunistic thief from swiping your kid's bike from where he parked it outside the video store.

Parents of kids aged preschool to 14 were no doubt familiar with Nickelodeon's branded magazine and Nick Jr., it's monthly for preschoolers, at least from the frequent house ads that the network ran to bulk up subscriptions. The "Nickelodeon Magazine Please!" commercials were ubiquitous.

But that wasn't enough to save the magazines.

Recently, Viacom announced that Nickelodeon Magazine and its Nick Jr. publication will be canceled. The company stated that ad pages dropped by 27% in 2008. According to Media Life Magazine, subscribers will receive refunds and some staff members of Nickelodeon Magazine Group will remain temporarily to produce the last big final issue in August. All 30 employees will then lose their jobs.

Teen apparel purveyors Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale have been a merchandising professor's dream case study of what to do -- and what not to do -- during a recession.

Abercrombie & Fitch dragged its feet when it came to cutting prices on its trademark tees and jeans, and teenagers responded by avoiding the retailer (scantily-clad catalog models notwithstanding).

On top of A&F's clunker of a first quarter (read about it here, if you need something to make you wince), the company announced this week that it's scuttling its Ruehl brand, a more upscale line that "defines the aspirational Greenwich Village lifestyle," as its website helpfully clarifies. Five year-old Ruehl turned out to be a bit of a problem child for A&F in this more budget-conscious climate; it lost $58 million last year and sales dropped by a whopping 33% last month.

For three weeks straight, movie ticket sales have fallen, compared to a year ago. Both USA Today and the Los Angeles Times have stories today, indicating that the recession is finally catching up with Hollywood.

That shouldn't be a surprise. We are, after all, still in the midst of a recession. Unemployment is high, credit is tight -- well, you know the drill. What surprises me is that the theater industry is doing so well. The box office has still raked in 6% more than it did last year.

But I don't think it's going to last. Now, I'm not a box office analyst or a theater owner -- just a fairly avid movie-goer, mostly lately of family films, since I have two young daughters (5 and 7). So knowing that, take these thoughts for what they are.

But if movie theater owners would like to make more money instead of less, here's what I think they should do. It's quite easy -- just two little things.

I remember as a kid asking my dad on Father's Day, "When is kids' day?" He laughed and replied, "Every other day."

That one day of the year for dads is coming -- Sunday, June 21 -- and like fathers everywhere, I'm looking forward to it.

TCBY is offering a free cup or cone for dad on June 21. Free yogurt -- a healthy choice on your day.

But other than that freebie, if you want to spend a little cash -- or no cash with homemade gifts or services -- then there are plenty of ideas for showing dad how much you love him. None of them involve an ugly tie, either.

Kaboose.com is a great place to start for crafts projects to make for dad. Here are a few:

Judy Woodruff was previously the host of Frontline, which aired on PBS, and served as Chief Washington Correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. The co-chair of the International Women's Media Foundation, Woodruff continues to be one of the most respected journalists in America.

Her new documentary series, which airs Monday nights in June on PBS's NewsHour, is entitled Generation Next. The generation that has experienced it all: from the birth of the Information Age to 9/11, and now a severe global recession. Woodruff examines what life is like for the up and coming young Americans. Woodruff talks to WalletPop Radio about traveling the country, talking to inspiring young men and women about how they're starting their careers in this economy.

A recent survey by online banking business HSBC Direct reports that people who are longtime active savers are enduring this economic downtown virtually unscathed.

Nearly half, or 46%, said they remain comfortable with their financial situation and have not had to cut back on spending, eating out or making large purchases. By contrast, 37% of non-active or periodic savers said they had to scale back on living expenses.

The old adage of saving for a "rainy day" is still good wisdom. But how many people are really willing to save? According to the survey, 85% were wiling to save more and spend less in order to get through the recession but more than 76% indicated they would return to old ways once the economy improves.

The survey also showed that most active savers started at a young age with the "saving" value taught early by their parents. Makes me wonder how many parents are teaching the value of saving in this age of "affuensa."

Women are having a tougher time with the financial crisis and are more likely to struggle to stay on top of their finances, according to a new report. Twice as many women (68%) as men (32%) sought help with their finances between January 1 and April 30, says Financial Finesse, a financial education company. Financial Finesse reviewed calls to its financial helpline service that is available to over 500,000 employees at more than 300 organizations, as well as usage of its online learning center.

Financial Finesse found that women who called the helpline were more likely to be behind with their bills than men. About 74% of women said they paid their bills on time, compared with 90% of men. Also, 43% of calls from women were about debt, compared with 36% of calls from men. About 29% of the women who called about debt were dealing with serious issues, such as how to avoid foreclosure or bankruptcy, or whether or not to borrow money from a retirement plan.

"When I looked at the research I was pretty shocked when we pulled these numbers to see how women are behind," says Nancy L. Anderson, CFP, a resident financial planner for Financial Finesse. Anderson says most of the women falling behind financially were still employed, although some had been laid off or had a spouse who had lost a job. But many of the female callers were more focused on helping others, which didn't help with their own financial situation.

Here's a good idea: a student-run restaurant that teaches kids cooking, service and finance while serving great food to the community -- and generating some cash to help defray the cost of instruction.

August Martin High School in Jamaica, New York opened its Cook's Cafe on May 1. , "This restaurant will be operated by August Martin High School students as part of their culinary externship. From the state-of-the-art kitchen where food is prepared, to the P.O.S. System where orders are taken, students will be afforded every opportunity to learn all the facets of owning and operating their own business."

It's probably too early to say anything definitive, but the school's principal says that he's already seen improvements in student's self-confidence and performance in other classes as a result of the new program. Look for this model to be emulated by other schools seeking innovative ways to engage students that can also help pay their own expenses in a time of steep budget cuts.

Somehow this doesn't surprise me. But ING Direct, a virtual bank headquartered in Wilmington, Del., just released a study indicating that two out of five would prefer the topic of the dangers of alcohol and drugs, than have a discussion with their kids about the family's financial situation.

And about three out of 10 parents would rather talk to their children about the birds and the bees.

Sure, that's kind of amusing, which is why I thought I'd mention this, although it's kind of sad, too. Does this hint at how we got into this mess, or is that parents don't want to talk about money because of the recession? Either way, this isn't a good thing.

But what's really troubling (at least according to this survey, which collected the insight of 2,123 adults) is that 18% of Americans are raiding their children's savings accounts to pay bills.